Counterpoint
by Sweeney Todd
Summary: AU. The equalists succeed and take control of Republic City. Asami Sato and General Iroh are amongst the many taken prisoner. Asami/Iroh II, obviously.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: This is my first little step out of the musical theater fandom, and my first fanfic in roughly four years. As the episodes of this show progressed, I fell more and more in love with Asami. I liked her so much that she replaced Eponine in my eyes as the greatest female of all time. Though, I admit that Selina Kyle from the Dark Knight Rises is slowly catching up. So, I hope I still got this in me or possible I have gotten better thought college. Here goes nothing!

Chapter 1

Perhaps it would have been more beneficial had her father finished her off. Then, at least it would have been over. No, her father was not be that merciful though. Instead, he rendered her mecha tank useless before proceeding to slaughter her friend, Bolin, right before her very eyes. The cruelest possible thing he could have done at that point was allow to live.

Now, Asami Sato was a helpless prisoner in her own personal hell. This hell didn't burn like the molten lava in the Fire Nation. No, this hell was very precise at attacking her now fragile emotions. It was created to devour every ounce of passion from what little hope she had left. Not even the most evil spirits could orchestrate such an intricately composed hell such as this.

It would be a normal human reaction to cry or scream. However, Asami lacked any sort of emotion. She was just that _dead_ inside. No emotion could escape a woman with such little thirst for life left. This is what she realized the equalists strove for, complete and utter defeat over their one's soul. Truthfully, they had succeeded in their endeavors, because the only thing Asami looked forward to now was her own death.

For a mere week, Asami had been cooped up in a small room. Not only was the loneliness maddening at times, but to make matters worse, her only visitor was in the form of her murderous, genocidal father. This man disgusted her more than any other being in the entire world, more so than Amon even. Whenever she was _graced_ with his presence, she wanted more that he had never given birth to her. How her mother could have been attracted to such a despicable creature baffled her completely. And, here he was again for the fifth time today. She could hear his wretched voice outside the door, boosting to the guards as he usually did.

"Lovely," Asami muttered, as she pulled her plush blanket tightly against her knees.

The screeching sound of the iron clad door signified the entrance of her father. In his hands, was a tray of fresh found that would most likely remain untouched. That was if she could resist his hospitality. Of course, every now and again, Asami would gave to her natural survival instincts. However, for the most part, she would try her with every fragment of her being to resist any sort of generosity her father offered.

"You know, you could just throw me in the dungeon," Asami suggested spitefully.

"A dungeon isn't a place for my only daughter," her father commented.

"I'd prefer that actually, _Hiroshi Sato_," Asami's spat, her voice dripped with as much venom as she could muster. From this day forward, she would never refer to him as her father again.

"You insolent, ungrateful bitch!" Hiroshi hissed.

Asami tossed back her hair and narrowed her eyes. "So, what if I am?"

And with that comment, her father stomped his way to the door. If only she could be so lucky, that this would be his last visit. But, unfortunately he stopped with his hand tightly in front of the knob. Of course, she assumed his pride would not allow her the last word in this argument. Oh, how petty he could be at times.

"Would you just leave already, _Sato_!" she snarled, allowing a malevolent grin to form across her lips.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of you're disrespect," Hiroshi bellowed.

Her father turned towards her and paced over to her bed. She felt her father's hand tightly grip her wrist and drag her from her bed. Her first instinct was to put her years of self-defense classes to escape his grip, but alas, her poor eating habits finally got the best of her. Then, a horrible realization dawned on her. Her father was wearing one of his prized equalist glove, and that was when electricity sore through ever fiber of her body. For the first time in a week, a scream escaped from Asami's lips.

And then, she fell limp to the floor. Her body fidgeted uncontrollably, trying to cope with the electricity that had just raced through her.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" her father asked her in a sadistic tone. "I'm sure you remember the time you used one of these on me, your own father."

The twitching finally stopped, but she still could not move a muscle of her body. Never had she felt more helpless in her life, and spirits, did she hate the feeling more than anything.

"You know, maybe just this once I'll grant your wish," Hiroshi spat in his most poisonous tone before his foot connected with her ribs. "I'll throw you into the dungeons with that little general friend of yours. After all, you do have a soft spot for those fire benders, don't you?"

"General..." Asami moaned in confusion, trying to find her thoughts.

A brief moment passed before she realized whom her father was speaking of. A giant pit formed within her stomach at the thought of her new realization. This could only mean that General Iroh of the United Forces was within Amon's custody which probably meant that the equalist had gained control of Republic City. Not that it wasn't completely obvious already, but this new realization solidified her fears.

However, he also was the only friend she probably had in this hell hole. And, for the first time in a week, Asami Sato finally found a small piece of hope to grasp on to.

To Be Continued

**Notes:** Yes, I'm aware that the first chapter was relatively short, but I didn't want to pad the fic with senseless paragraphs. Reviews are appreciated, of course. I hope to have the next chapter up shortly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:** I intended to update this sooner, but I read this dreadful book _50 Shades of Grey_. It was so bad that it stunted my creative abilities for a few days.

Chapter 2

The outside world...

It seemed like a hopeless dream to her a week ago. Now, Asami Sato allowed her mind to venture outside of the walls that confided her. Her face, however, masked any of these hopeful thoughts of hers. The last thing she wanted right now was to rouse any sort of suspicion. It would only make escape slightly less possible if her father anteed up the security around her cell.

Her escorts finally stopped in front of a rusty, iron clad door. A loud screech emitted through the dusty stairwell as the soldier pried open the door. Asami gave both of the guards a look of complete disgust and pulled herself from their grip. Then, she obediently stepped inside her new place of confinement.

As soon as she heard the door slam shut behind her, Asami's eyes scanned for any sign of General Iroh. The only light she was offered was a small stream of light coming from a tiny barred window. Her eyes followed that stream of light and came across a man wrapped in chains. She took a few steps closer to him just to be sure it was indeed General Iroh before speaking.

"Hello, general," Asami said unevenly.

Iroh rolled over to face her. "Hello, Miss Sato."

To her surprise, the General Iroh actually remembered her name. It was hard for her to believe this considering that they didn't even speak a word to each other last week.

"How long have you been here?" Asami asked.

"I've been here for a week," Iroh said unpleasantly. "Do you know if the equalist have captured any of our other allies?"

"I'm not sure if they've captured anyone besides us, but..." Asami had to pause to fight back a sob before continuing, "Bolin, that earth bender that was fighting along side us, my dad...my dad killed him when he tried to intervene in our fight."

"I'm sorry you had to witness such a terrible thing," Iroh replied.

Casually, Asami stepped closer to Iroh and sat down. There was something about being close to someone that made her feel slightly more control. Sure, she barely knew a thing about the man, but she supposed it was natural to attach herself to the closest form of comfort she had in a place like this.

Her fingers fumbled with the tattered ends of the cheapest gown she had ever wore in her life. "So, how do are we going to get out of here?"

Iroh was quick to reply. "I need to get these chains off of me first so I can fire bend."

"Amon didn't take your bending away?" Asami asked, completely taken a back by this new discovery. Why wouldn't amon strip one of his most powerful enemies of his most powerful weapon?

"No, he's a very egotistical man," Iroh explained. "I'm sure he's waiting to gain control of the fire nation and remove my bending publicly to set some sort of example. A foolish move on his part."

"Okay, then," Asami said. "All we have to do is get these chains off of you, then? I'm sure there is a weak point in your chains somewhere."

However, before Asami could even begin to form a new plan, Iroh interrupted her thoughts. "I've already devised a plan. We have to wait till the guards bring my food. They will block my chi before they unchain me, but none of the soldiers they have sent to my cell are skilled enough to paralyze me. My bending will most likely return within ten short minutes. If you and I can hold them off that long, we'll be able to escape through the first window."

"I'm not sure if you've got this place completely mapped out, but it's a long way down from here," Asami pointed out.

"I can use my fire bending to fly us down safely," Iroh commented.

"Wait," Asami said in complete astonishment. "You can fly?"

"Yes, I've invented a technique with my fire bending that allows me to fly," Iroh replied.

"So, why haven't you tried to escape before?" Asami asked.

A small smile formed across Iroh's lips."Actually, I had already devised a perfect plan to escape the first night I was held prisoner, and I would be in the fire nation right now if I hadn't overheard one of Amon's followers drop some useful information. While they took me to the showers, I overheard them boasting about which one was more likely to...ugh..._score _with Hiroshi Sato's daughter. I came to two possible conclusions from there. You either betrayed your friends for your father, or you were also being held prisoner as well. I assumed that the second assumption was more likely based on my earlier observations of you. So, I decided that I would wait until I could devise a way to rescue you. However, I had no idea that the equalist would be so foolish to send you directly to me."

Asami was completely blown away by how articulate and detailed this man was. Not only was she impressed by how calculated he was, but also he was also honorable enough to disregard his own needs to save her. "I don't know what to say, but thank you _so_ much."

"Thank you is quite enough," Iroh replied.

"So, now we wait," Asami said.

"Yes," Iroh replied.

And, that is when they heard keys a pair of guards from outside. This was it. They would make there move.

To Be Continued

**Notes:** I guess it's safe to say that I'm not very good at writing long chapters. I guess it's because I haven't been writing for awhile. Anyways, I plan to rewrite the first seven chapters of my Marius and Eponine fanfic too. So, I've got a lot of writing ahead of me. Thank you for all your feedback. It means a lot to me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes:** So, I poured everything into this chapter, and I'm now started to actually get into this fanfiction. I do believe this is the longest fanfiction I've written in fanfiction history.

Chapter 3

Asami sat quietly in the corner as she watched two of the most idiotic men she'd ever laid eyes on attempt to free General Iroh from the chains that bound him. The same situation had been going on for probably ten minutes now. The guards would take turns trying to figure out which way to unwind the chains only to meet failure each time. The taller guard would insult his companion. All the while, the shorter guard would complain about how mean the taller one was being. This situation, truthfully, was a sad depiction of how utterly stupid two human beings could possibly be.

"No, stupid!" the taller guard shouted before smacking the back of his companion's head. "You unwind the chain like this!"

"Stop it, man! Can't you see I'm trying!"

Iroh finally spoke up, irritation clear in his voice. "Okay, you two, I know we're not exactly allies here, but can I help you two out? See, I'm really getting hungry, and I'm sure Sato has both of you on some sort of timed schedule. So, I'll tell you which way the chain goes."

The guards took a moment to process what Iroh had just said. They looked at each other for a moment before the taller guard finally replied. "I guess you could help us."

"Okay, then, see this part of the chain..."

Asami suppressed the laugh that wanted desperately to escape her lips. She could not believe Amon and her father had the audacity to employ such simpletons. To make matters even more hilarious, these two idiots were looking after one of her father's most dangerous prisoners. The entire situation gave her absolute confidence that Iroh's escape plan was flawless.

"Alright, we're almost done," Iroh directed. "Just pull this end of the chain here..."

"Wait!" the shorter guard interrupted. "What did you say again?"

Again, Asami really wanted to laugh at these two. They couldn't even follow simple direction half of the time. It was a shock to her that Amon and her father were able to take Republic City with followers like these.

At long last, the taller guard unraveled the last piece of chain, and without further hesitation, Asami decided to swiftly kick him in the back of his head. Iroh quickly sprang to his feet and planted his fist directly into the shorter guards face. Both of them instantly hit the ground and fell completely uncontentious.

"Ugh," Asami commented. "I'm so glad that we don't have to listen to these two anymore."

"Imagine a week of daily visits from them," Iroh replied.

Asami shuttered at the thought. "So, I suppose we wait until your bending returns, then?"

"It won't take long," Iroh cocked his head towards the pair of guards passed out on the floor. "These two were the ones that blocked my chi."

"Yeah, you're right," Asami agreed.

Asami eagarly pushed the door open and peered down the stairwell. Seriously, her father was not the best tactician in the world. The entire stairwell was deserted. Did he not think that maybe Iroh might escape? Then again he was so easily exposed as an equalist by the Avatar. The man was a great inventor, but it was clear to Asami that her father lacked any form of common sense at this point. Perhaps that was the reason he followed such an idiotic philosophy.

"It looks like it's clear," Asami said.

Iroh peered over her shoulder. "Are you serious? This is easily than taking candy from a baby. I'm embarrassed that the United Forces lost Republic City to these people."

"I'm sure my father had nothing to do with the tactical planning," Asami noted. "Amon is clearly the mastermind behind all of this."

"Obviously," Iroh replied.

"Can you fire bend yet?" Asami asked.

Iroh snapped his finger and a small flame emitted from his index finger. "That would be a yes."

"I see the nearest window across from us," Asami said.

Both Asami and Iroh bolted down the staircase to the nearest window. Without hesitation, Iroh sent a fireball straight through the window causing it to shatter into thousands of pieces. Iroh climbed on top of the window sill and turned to Asami. "Climb on my back, hurry!"

Asami wasted no time obeying the general's order. Quickly, she climbed on his back and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Her legs secured themselves around his waste as well. This was possibly one of the most insane stunts she had agreed to in her entire life. However, she trusted Iroh. The man showed nothing but full competence in the past.

She allowed herself one final deep breath and shut her eyes tightly. Then, she felt whatever grounding she had disappeared from beneath her as they descended straight towards the ground. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe they'd fall to their deaths, but she felt an odd heating sensation that propelled them upwards. Feeling slightly more secure, Asami allowed her eyes to flicker open.

The night sky now enveloped Republic City, allowing the bright lights below to shine just as bright as the stars above. The harsh, frigid breeze grazed her bare arms allowing a soft chill to coarse through her spin. It was astonishing how easily her body allowed the winter weather to consume her. Thankfully, Asami mentally noted, the embers emitting from Iroh's hands made the icy temperature bearable.

A smile made it's way upon her lips. It was quite possibly the first smile she allowed herself in a long while. Perhaps it was that she had managed to escape her father's grasp. Maybe, it was because it was that Republic City was just so beautiful from a bird's eye view. It could be a multitude of reason, but for the first time in a good while, Asami felt life had dealt her a good hand. This was enough. This would allow her to feel a small piece of happiness.

As they descended from the sky, Asami allowed her head to drop on Iroh's shoulder. This man, she barely knew him, but she noted that he was possibly the best friend she had at this point. Her loving mother was murdered when she was just a little girl. Her father was now a murderous bastard of a human being. Mako, her first love, had left her for the avatar. The avatar also just so happened to be her only female friend. Bolin, the only one she felt was honest with her, was no longer among the living. Of course, Tenzin, Lin, and Pema were kind to her, but she barely knew the three of them as well as Korra's friends.

General Iroh, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, was really all she had left. She would probably be grateful to this man until the day she died. She imagined the wonderful wife he had. He probably had amazing kids just like Tenzin. _But, what if he doesn't have a wife or kids? _Asami let that thought sink in, and she kicked herself mentally for allowing herself to get slightly excited about the idea. Of course he has a family! The man is a general and a prince. There is no way that he is a single bachelor on the dating scene, and even if he was, a broken woman would not be his first choice. Besides, why did this all matter. No, she would not allow her mind to revisit this subject again. This was ridiculous and some desperate cry for attention towards Mako. Aside from that, her mind would probably always see male benders as prime dating material as some twisted attempt to stick it to her father.

"So, uh..." Iroh interrupted her thoughts, "unless you me to carry you still, we've landed."

_See what your stupid thoughts got you into!_ After mentally scolding herself, Asami allowed herself to slide off of Iroh's back. This was completely embarressing. "Sorry, I'm just really tired, you know...after everything that's happened."

"It's fine," Iroh replied simply.

Asami allowed herself to take in her new surroundings. They were in a dark alley possibly in the middle class area of Republic City. She allowed herself a brief moment before she dared to speak again, "So uh...anyways, I'm sure you already know that we can't stay in the city long. My...dad...has tons of connections, and he's surely alerted the entire city that we've escaped by now."

Iroh nodded in agreement before saying, "We need supplies and intelligence before we leave. I know of a few people that may be able to help us."

Asami mentally noted that this was probably the most useless she had felt in her entire life, and oh, did she hate every bit of it. Iroh was just so capable and intelligent compared to most people she knew. Part of her wondered why he would have even wasted the time to rescue her. It's not like she was providing much. He already stated that he could have escaped without her help. Maybe the _avatar_ would have provided better use. Yes, she went there. It was just too difficult to fight her insecurity towards anything at this moment.

"General," Asami spoke quietly as she followed his footsteps, "I don't understand why you bothered to wait for me. It's not like I'm really going to help you that much."

"Because, I could just leave you there with your father," Iroh responded simply. "Besides, I could use the company. Traveling alone is rather boring, and what better to be in the company of a beautiful young lady such as yourself."

Asami couldn't help but smile a little at his comment. "Well, I suppose it's not so bad to be in the company of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

"And, it's not so bad to be in the company of the future CEO of Future Industries," Iroh replied and smiled back at her. The fact that he was so confident she'd be able to take the company from her father was a bit flattering to her.

They came to a stop in front of a rusty door in the middle of the alley. He did a series of knocks before the door swung open. An old, plump man draped in an apron and a floppy chef's hat stood on the other side of the door. Embroidered on his apron was a small white lotus.

"Your highness," the chef was obviously completely stunned by the sight before him, "you've escaped from the equalists."

"Yes," he replied. "This lady and I need a place to stay for the night, and you and your wife were the first people that came to my mind."

Asami wanted to say something, but the intoxicating aroma from the kitchen was just too distracting. She felt the pit within her stomach growl with the ferocity of a wild animal. How long had it been she had a decent meal? Even before her father had kidnapped her, the last thing she attempted to ingest was street gruel given to her by a homeless man. She could not focus on anything else going on around her. She needed something in her stomach.

"Excuse me, sir," Asami interrupted. "I just really need to go inside. I'm really hungry."

Asami did not wait for permission. Her basic human instincts were calling for food. She searched around the kitchen looking for something to devour. Her eyes spotted a loaf of bread on a metal table. Obviously, it was not cooked for her, but damn it, she needed it more than whoever was in the dining room. She tore a piece from the loaf without any thought, leaving all her upper class manners behind her.

"Oh, you must be starving, dear."

Asami quickly spun around to see an elderly woman smiling behind her. Her thin, gray hair was tied in a messy braid that matched her scrawny appearance.

"I'm sorry, miss," Asami replied. "It's just that-"

"I know, hun," she replied. "I've been held prisoner before. By one of my best friends nonetheless. I know the conditions are very harsh. Eat whatever you'd like."

"Thank you," Asami replied. "I'm Asami Sato, Hiroshi Sato's daughter. I just want to apologize for everything my father has done to Republic City."

"Oh, it's not your fault," the woman replied. "I'm Ty Lee. I used to be a part of the Kyoshi Warriors, but I fell in love with a man with amazing cooking skills. So, here I am helping him manage this restaurant."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ty Lee," Asami said politely. To be honest, polite conversation was all she had to offer at this point. It wasn't as if she had better conversation to offer to people she barely knew.

That is until an odd thought crept into the back of her mind. _You should ask Ty Lee if General Iroh's married._ Asami mentally kicked herself again for getting back on this subject. She reminded herself that she wasn't suppose to be entertaining thoughts like these. After all, she still felt the sting from her previous failed relationship. Besides that, there were more urgent matters to attend to. For example, were Korra and Mako still amongst the living? Perhaps she should ask something important like that.

_Okay, I'll ask, but it can't be too obvious. _"So, I'm sure Iroh's wife and kids must be worried after all that's happened."

Ty Lee let out a loud cackle. "Oh, that boy! He's so focused on his work that he'll never be married."

"Oh, I just assumed he had a family back home," Asami replied, trying best to hide any sort of emotion. "I supposed that someone like him wouldn't have a hard time finding someone special."

"Oh, he's got tons of young woman crawling at his feet, but none of them seem to interest him at all," Ty Lee replied before a devious smile formed on his lips. "Why are you so interested in his romantic life, anyways?"

Asami mentally cursed at herself and quickly tried to cover up her intentions. "I don't know. I just wanted to make conversation is all. I don't really know any of his family or friends well.

The playful smile was still plastered across Ty Lee's lips. It was clear to Asami that she wasn't fooling this woman at all. "Well, young lady, I might as well make you presentable for dinner. We wouldn't want to disappoint Iroh, now would we. Follow me."

Asami let out a deep sigh. This was going to be one interesting night.

To Be Continue

**Notes:** So, now that I'm writing about Iroh's family life, it's kind of killing my old Zutarian habits. Irosami is enlighting me in the ways of Maiko. This is okay since I ship Irosami five times as hard as I ever shipped Zutara. Anyways, thanks for the reviews again. I'm glad that people are enjoying this story. Seriously, this fanfiction is so helping me cope with my crappy breakup right now. I'm really glad that I'm getting such great feedback. Reviews are always appreciated.


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